Thin Slices of Joy
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It's OK. I preemptively lost the holiday weight gain!
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I am new to this thread, but would love to join in. I have loved reading/hearing about others' experiences, from trips to Scandinavia, to kids on shoulders.
Slices of joy? My morning dark-roast coffee, hearing the mockingbirds and finches sing, my alone time before my daughter and husband begin the day.
Boiled or roasted beets. Sunday hours with no obligations ahead. My teen daughter asking if she can come read with me in bed. A good dinner recipe, prepared lunches. Hugging my husband. Backyard tomatoes and a salad to put them in. Our cat jumping on my stomach in the morning and making her cat bread and purring.
Mild, sunny days. A good job. Deep House music and comfortable exercise pants.
This board, these women and men.
Love out.
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Welcome, Jojobird! Great slices of joy! I love enjoying the small moments with my family, my pup, the sun, music, art, food/drink, and trivia.
I took this picture while waiting to take the train home this week. The sun felt so good.
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Beautiful picture, Serenity! Thank you for the welcome.
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I've always had tense shoulders/upper back. Surgery and radiation have made it worse. This Essentrics video helped loosen the tightness Essentrics is by the same woman who developed Classical Stretch. The woman in the video is her daughter.
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Love this thread! I was just chastised for being "too positive" on another thread 😄, so I will express my joy here from now on.
My slice of joy today was watching my elderly arthritic dog frolic outside with our new adopted dog. And here's a picture of giant Lilly pads at Longwood Gardens, just because they are awesome.
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Sorry pic is so big. Taken by a good friend, who lives in the Buffalo, NY area on the shores of Lake Erie.
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grandma3X - Love your lilypad pic - Feel free to spread all the joy you can here!
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grandma3x - Welcome! Please share your joy here. There's so much sadness in the world, I wouldn't want to suppress anything good. I love your picture, but the thought of your dogs frolicking thrills me!
CeliaC - That's a beautiful photo! On my iPad, the pictures aren't big. I haven't been able to change the size of images for some time. Hope my images aren't too big. I've given up trying to make them smaller.
One of the best things about cooking Thanksgiving dinner is eating leftovers. I just had some scrumptious pumpkin pie.
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Serenity - Your pictures are great! Big, small, whatever - I say keep them coming - glad you enjoyed the sunset. My friend has a whole collection called Sunset Diaries out there on Facebook.
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Serenity - You celebrate Thanksgiving in Montreal? DH is a Brit, but we still celebrate because we love the "tastes of the season." Agree that leftovers are great. Last year, celebrated TG with my sister in CT. Went to the Macy's TG Parade in NYC & then cooked dinner together in a house that dates from colonial times (she was house & cat sitting in Greenwich, CT).
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Celia - Yes, we have Canadian Thanksgiving on the 2nd Monday of October! It's not as big an event as the US version. Most people have turkey, but we had duck (it was time to replenish our jar of duck fat).
By the way, a full jar of duck fat gives me great joy! I use it to cook eggs, potatoes, spinach, etc. I add a tablespoon of it when making onion soup. Mmmm.
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Can I slice joy with you ladies? I'm at the beginning of my journey with BC. Joy is slim. I've read this whole thread and it has warmed my heart.
Sar
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Joy Slice - I knit for mindfulness. Socks mostly. Just looked in my knitting bag. Socks. Ativan. Tampons. That about sums up my day.
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Welcome, Seeker of Joy! You've come to the right place. I think it was in one of the articles I posted that knitting is an excellent activity. I have not tried Ativan, but have heard good things. Next month will be 2 years since diagnosis. Seems like forever ago. Haven't needed tampons since the beginning of chemo. I don't miss that at all!
Working long days still. I like being able to focus on it.
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Out of pie. Leftover whipped cream in coffee =
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Frosty roofs. It's cold here in Alberta. Hot, strong coffee in a comfy spot while I listen to the murmur of weaned calves. Pink prairie skies in the morning. Slice, slice, slice....
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Sounds like it's time for this again!
http://mentalfloss.com/article/91378/10-ways-maste...
10 Ways to Master the Danish Art of Hygge in Your Home Long, dark winter nights and stormy weather have us craving a roaring fire, fluffy slippers, and a soft blanket to curl up under. As the Danes would say, we want to get hygge. Hygge(pronounced hoo-gah) is the Danish concept of coziness and intimacy—as one tea companyputs it, hygge is "taking pleasure from the soothing, ordinary, and inexpensive things in life"—and it has made its way across the Atlantic. To achieve optimal hygge in your own home, grab a warm drink, put on your chunkiest sweater, and check out the below tips.
IMAGE CREDIT: ISTOCKLIKE US ON FACEBOOK
Long, dark winter nights and stormy weather have us craving a roaring fire, fluffy slippers, and a soft blanket to curl up under. As the Danes would say, we want to get hygge. Hygge(pronounced hoo-gah) is the Danish concept of coziness and intimacy—as one tea companyputs it, hygge is "taking pleasure from the soothing, ordinary, and inexpensive things in life"—and it has made its way across the Atlantic. To achieve optimal hygge in your own home, grab a warm drink, put on your chunkiest sweater, and check out the below tips.
1. HEAT THINGS UP.
A flickering fire can instantly make any space feel intimate. If you don't have a fireplace in your home, create that warm and cozy vibe by arranging candles of different sizes and shapes into a cluster, says Kayleigh Tanner, owner of the U.K.-based blog Hello Hygge. "My favorites are Yankee Candles in scents like cinnamon and vanilla, but a bag of cheap tea lights will do the trick just as well," Tanner says.
2. BRING THE OUTDOORS INSIDE.
Take a cue from nature (which is innately relaxing and stress-busting) and add some greenery to your home. Can't keep plants alive? Add natural materials like leather, stone, and wood to your space.
3. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS.
Unless you have a dimmer, overhead lights are often too bright to create the homey feeling you're after. So turn off that light and rely on table lamps instead, Tanner says.
4. STREAMLINE.
Cozy spaces might be small, but that doesn't mean they're cluttered. Kate Marengo, founder and president of Interior Chicago, says you can't relax in spaces that are overwhelming. So before you add your hygge touches (candles, a throw, books), take a page from Marie Kondo's book and strip away any extraneous items that don't bring you joy.
5. REACH FOR SOMETHING SOFT.
Texture is a big part of hygge, says Pia Edberg, Vancouver-based author of The Cozy Life. Edberg suggests surrounding yourself with soft items like knitted fleece throw blankets, fluffy pillows, shag rugs, and comfy furniture.
6. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH OBJECTS THAT TELL A STORY.
"There are studies about how hygge in Denmark shies far away from consumerism," Edberg says. Instead of stocking up on mass-produced items, decorate your home with furniture and accents that are meaningful to you. Edberg says this could mean the items were given to you as gifts, you purchased them on your travels, or they are antiques with a rich history.
7. KEEP THE HOT DRINKS COMING.
Tanner recommends making your tea kettle your new best friend. She digs Hoogly Tea, a British company that makes hygge their business by selling creative tea blends such as Vanilla Chai, Around the Fire, and Marzipan. Not a tea person? Cocoa or coffee will also do the trick.
8. SET THE TABLE.
Time with family or friends, especially while sharing a great meal, is essential to the hyggephilosophy, so you'll need a great dining room table. Danes love a great wooden table and hand-crafted chairs (many will pass down an Arne Jacobsen or a Hans Wegner chair from generation to generation), but any dining room set will do—the important part is spending mealtimes together, says Helen Russell, author of The Year of Living Danishly.
9. SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB, HEAD TO THE TUB.
"Not many people think about the bathroom when they're making their home cozier, but think about making a more relaxing environment for the next time you take a soothing bath," Tanner says. You can do this by lighting a few candles and integrating essential oils and bath products with relaxing scents into your routine. Big, fluffy towels and a quality bathmat are also great additions.
10. GET SMART.
Technology is your secret weapon in making your home cozy, says Carly Pokornowski Moeller, owner and registered interior designer at Unpatterned in Chicago. Wireless speakers can help you use music to set the right mood throughout your home. And, Pokornowski Moeller says, adding a total smart home system (like Nest) can allow you to change the temperature or turn off the lights in any room right from your smartphone. This way you can stop running from room to room to adjust and can just be present.
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This article really resonated with me 💜
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Grandma 3x, I love the photo! I've always loved big lily pads and as a child imagined sitting on them. And SerenitySTA, thank you for posting the reminders of joy/photos! I do love so much about the fall.
Today's thin slices:
* coffee (always)
* fresh produce
* time to write
* a good book
* I got the "ok" to participate in a clinical trial related to TNBC, and will be starting in a few weeks
* burger night with the fam (Friday is my "cheat" day with food. Chocolate shake, HERE I COME!)
Keep 'em coming!
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Joining this wonderful group. For years now I've woke every morning and gone to bed every night after going over in my mind the little things I was grateful for that day. It makes me infinitely a happier person, this slices of joy is the same thing and I love reading about your bright spots during your days.
I'm finishing up chemo in 10 days, so much joy there, however my very fat kitty has not been allowed to sleep with me since chemo, but he sits outside my door every morning howling and insisting to be admitted to my room. This morning he just made such a racket and so insistent to get in. I'm so happy he hasn't given up and am counting the days till he can join me. It will be such a happy night for us both when he's not put away downstairs at night.
Lovely thread you've started here, thank you!
Theresa
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Jojobird - I love burgers and chocolate shakes! We have Sushi Fridays.
Theresa - Welcome! I'm so glad for you and your cat that you're almost done with chemo. Pets are great therapy.
For the first time, I forgot an appointment. I realized last night that I missed my port flush 2 weeks ago. I called the clinic this morning, and they were able to take me this afternoon. The nurse I saw was new for me, and she was very good. I still hate needles, but the smell of everything used for the port flush no longer makes me nauseated. Yay?
After the port flush, we stopped at the grocery store. As we were walking towards the door, I saw a woman with her dog. It looked just like our old dog who I miss very much. They left by the time we got close. Otherwise, I would have had to scratch behind her ears.
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Showed this to my husband. He replied, "Or, never sober up".
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Oh, my! Good thing looking is calorie free.
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Is today National Dessert Day?
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Hi all, so lovely to see so many joyful people joining this thread! I finished watching season 6 of Game of Thrones this evening. Now I'm looking forward to December when Season 7 will be released on Disc. Excellent. X
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Drank my first pop in three months. I'm a former addict 😳😳 Sweet treat...
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Celia - Yes, it was today, but no dessert for me. Can't complain since I had lots of pie last week. Next dessert will be a cheesecake or white chocolate banana cream pie. Maybe in December. After seeing that picture, I would like a small cake stand.
ScotBird - This past season of GoT has been the best! I can't believe we have to wait so long for the final season.
Joyseeker - I do like Coke every so often. Lately I've been drinking Perrier with a splash of cranberry juice.
My pup is needing more snuggles as it gets cooler. She likes being tucked in.
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This pup knows I need extra love right now. He's my constant joy.
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That's a good pup!
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